John Lott: Guns Only For The Rich In Connecticut

In a Tuesday column in the Hartford Courant, researcher John Lott pointed out how Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed exorbitant fee increases would impact citizens most vulnerable to crime—the poor.

“Democrats oppose even free voter IDs as imposing too much of a burden on the poor,” Lott wrote, “but when it comes to guns, they don't hesitate to impose fees, expensive training requirements and onerous background checks. These are precisely the things that can put guns out of reach for poor people.”

Malloy claims the increase is needed to offset a $1.4 billion state budget shortfall (Connecticut has lost $50 million in tax revenue by running off gun manufacturers). However, he blithely assumes that the same number of permits will be issued after the increase. The truth is that when he drastically increases the burden of gun ownership, only criminals and the rich will own guns.

Washington State Woman Shoots, Stops Home Invader

The 911 call came in around 2 a.m., when a panicked woman said a man was trying to break into her Poulsbo, Wash., home. Officers quickly arrived to find the suspected burglar lying critically wounded outside the house. Investigators discovered the woman had warned the intruder several times, but he kept approaching—so she had to shoot.

Kitsap County Det. Lt. Earl Smith told KOMO 4 News, “Definitely scary for this lady who’s home alone in the middle of the night and you’ve got somebody breaking into your home. And she did what she thought she had to do.”

The woman was home alone when she heard the noise and retrieved her gun, then found the 28-year-old suspect trying to enter the residence. After the warnings, she shot at the intruder, leaving a bullet hole in a window near the front door. The suspect was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but is expected to survive.

S.D. “Permitless” Carry Bill Headed To Governor

The South Dakota Senate on Monday passed House Bill 1072, a “permitless” concealed carry bill. The measure now goes to Gov. Dennis Daugaard for consideration.

HB 1072, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Lynne DiSanto, removes the requirement to obtain a permit in order to lawfully carry a firearm for self-defense. According to NRA-ILA, this important pro-self-defense legislation is a big step forward in allowing South Dakotans to be better able to defend themselves and their loved ones without having to obtain a government issued permit.

It is already legal in South Dakota to carry a firearm openly without a permit, as long as the individual is not prohibited by law from possessing a firearm. This extends the same protection to those wishing to carry a concealed firearm.

Use Your Power!

South Dakota gun owners are encouraged to contact Gov. Daugaard and urge him to sign HB 1072 into law. You can contact him directly byclicking here.

New Orleans Forms Special Unit To Battle Violent Crime

The city of New Orleans—in the grip of rising violent crime that’s seen more than 100 wounded and 32 murdered by gunfire this year, per police data collected by The Times-Pacayune—is taking action. “We’re going to take the fight to the bad guys instead of waiting for the bad guys,” Police Superintendent Michael Harrison told Nola.com.

Harrison held a press conference Monday to announce the formation of a special unit designed to turn the tide. Comprised of eight law enforcement officers and one sergeant, the unit is “specifically designed to go after people who are committing gun violence,” Harrison stated.

This proactive response is in sharp contrast to what we’ve seen in Chicago. As John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, noted earlier, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has not only NOT increased police on the streets, instead he actually shut down detective bureaus located in some of the city’s highest crime areas. The unsurprising result: Gang violence continues unabated.

LEO Widow Angry That Antis Are Using Her Late Husband To Promote Gun Control

The widow of a law enforcement officer who was slain in 2015 is angry that anti-gun advocates are using her husband’s death to call for more restrictive gun control in New Mexico.

Michelle Carlino-Webster, widow of Albuquerque Police Detective Dan Webster, recently wrote in the Albuquerque Journal that she was already offended that out-of-state interests have poured a quarter-million dollars into the state in an attempt to pass restrictive background check legislation, but at the hearings for HB 50 things got personal.

“The bill’s author, as well as her lead witness, both invoked the name of my late husband, Albuquerque Police Department officer Daniel Webster, to promote the measure,” Carolino-Webster wrote. “Along with the media, they continue to imply that had these proposed laws been in place, my husband’s death would have been prevented; in doing so, they actually remove accountability from the criminal who caused it.”

She added: “I am not okay with this, and I know Dan would not have wanted his name associated with this bill either. He was against expanded background checks of any kind, and stood behind our Second Amendment rights with honor and appreciation.”